We originally planned to drive through Mauritania as
fast as we could because of the threat of kidnapping. In fact, there hasn't been
an incident for over a year and the state is now well policed. However, we
stuck to our plan, spent one night in Nouadhibou, one day driving 500 km to
Nouakchott, two nights in Nouakchott and one day to the Senegal border. We
found the people very friendly and not hustling. Walking around Nouakchott
was fascinating and quite relaxed. Although the country is all desert, In
retrospect, it would have been good to have spent more time there and possibly
gone to Chinguetti and then driven straight to Mali, cutting out Senegal
altogether. We debated this but our Moroccan visa ended before our Mali visa
started so we ruled out this option but I am sure it could have been
overcome. If we had know the problems we were to encounter in Senegal we
would certainly have tried to go direct to Mali.

In summary, we probably under-rated Mauritania and
missed an opportunity to see more of the country.